In health and sickness
by Kaeries
Summary: Tseng is out of commission for a while. Fortunately he has several someones to take of him in the meantime.


In health and sickness  
>By: Kaeries<p>

Summary: Because that's what family is for.  
>Genre: Probably fluff<br>Pairing: General  
>Setting: Sometime after the original game...not really sure ^^;<br>Rating: PG  
>Status: Complete<br>Type: Oneshot

It had been a very long day at Shinra Inc. and as per usual, the one to feel the most strain was the man in charge.

No, not the blonde who owned the whole building and at least half of the planet; but the one who actually got things done.

Tseng had always been good at dealing with stress. He had no problem shouldering responsibility; in fact, he needed to be responsible for everything less something go wrong under another's supervision, which tended to happen fairly often. He liked to think that if he took care of things the possibility of failing would be reduced to the minimum, not because he was infallible but because he worked extra hard at ensuring his men's safety without jeopardizing the success of the mission. If there was something that could be done, anything, he'd do it. That was a big part of the reason he'd made it so far.

So he liked being in charge, but that didn't mean he particularly enjoyed days like these. It wasn't that he was in the middle of yet another world crisis or particularly busy blackmailing someone on Rufus' behalf, it was rather the opposite.

The last couple of weeks had been really busy. All Turks had been sent in one assignment or other, leaving him to deal with the logistics as always. That had been fine. The problem was that after the assignments were completed – successfully – all three Turks had been left with nothing to do but procrastinate and the towers of paperwork sitting on his desk were starting to be so high it was a wonder how gravity hadn't done its job yet. And that wouldn't have been a problem either if his boss hadn't suddenly decided that he needed all files classified, approved and ready to sign for the next day.

So that left him stuck in the office with three very bored Turks. Joy.

He sighed, feeling the upcoming headache building slowly. He could deal with the end of the world without a sweat, but it was plain unfair to ask him to deal with a team of bored Turks while he tried to concentrate on something else; especially when said team included Reno.

He knew himself well enough to know that he would be feeling miserable in no time.

And as always, he was right.

Half an hour after the first signs of what promised to be a full out migraine, he found himself struggling to keep reading the documents at hand. He was feeling a bit dizzy and was sure that he was getting a bit of a fever, but as always his face didn't betray anything. He was human though, and he knew he would have to get out of there before he collapsed...

But the reports weren't ready yet and Rufus was being his usual demanding self. Reno was being too loud and Rude was being too quiet. They were planning something, something that would most probably cause some structural damage. And Elena, she had been all over him since the day had started. It was really getting on his nerves.

He tried to force himself to stay and endure the symptoms if only to avoid a greater catastrophe in his absence, but he was only getting worse. Finally, he gave up and decided to go to the restroom and see if a little cold water on his face would make him feel a little more awake. He put both hands on the desk and pushed himself up, but his knees gave up under him the second he managed to stay standing. He faltered a little but quickly recovered, pausing a moment until he felt it was safe to try again. When the room finally stopped moving in circles his mind registered the change of atmosphere in the room. He raised his eyes to regard the other people currently looking at him with identical expression, something that was a mixture between horror and worry.

The only time they had seen Tseng show the tiniest hint of weakness had been when he'd had Masamune practically splitting his torso in two, and at that time it had been understandable. The sight of their boss failing to stand steadily in his own was alarming, and enough to bring back memories no one really wanted to revisit. The image of the man's broken body, struggling to breath and drowning in his own blood was something that could not be easily forgotten.

Suddenly, the office was a blur of movement. Elena was in Rufus' office informing him of the current situation. Reno had run out to fetch a doctor and Rude was gently, but firmly guiding him to the nearest couch, forcing him to lie down. Not that he had the strength to put up much resistance.

Soon he found himself surrounded by the others while the doctor crouched beside him and started making his diagnosis. The poor man deserved some credit; his hands were steady even though the rest of him was looking rather nervous at the presence of four armed Turks towering over him.

"It's just a very aggressive case of the flu" The doctor said finally "He'll be back on his feet in a week at most with some proper rest. I'll give him some medicine to speed the recovery" After that declaration the tension in the room ebbed substantially, shoulders relaxed and everyone seemed more at ease. The doctor handed a couple of medicaments to Rufus and started explaining the times and dose for each one, but Tseng couldn't be bothered to pay attention; by that time his head was throbbing. Then someone was giving him a glass of water and a pill, he swallowed without questioning and then the world faded.

-oOo-

When he awoke he was greeted with the sight of a familiar ceiling and the feeling of his own bed and blankets surrounding him. He could see that he wasn't in the office anymore, but back in his apartment. It was strange though, the ceiling was familiar, but not the one that should be above his bed. He could hear sounds of people moving around him and he was sure his room was too small for more than two people to move comfortably. Maybe he was still dreaming after all...

He forced himself to turn his head and look around to see what bizarre dream he was trapped into.  
>What he saw was nothing strange or new. Rufus was going over some documents with the detached sort of expression he always had when dealing with business. That was normal.<p>

What was most certainly NOT normal was Reno seated beside him and actually working with a serious look in his eyes on what seemed to be the pile of reports he hadn't managed to finish. It made sense in some kind of alternative reality, Reno was his second in command after all and he trusted him despite what most people thought. However, what really stood up in the scene was not any of this, but the fact that both appeared to be perfectly at home working together at his dining table. A movement to his left caught his attention and he saw Rude perched at his side in one of the couches. And just why was his couch next to his bed?

"Ah, you're awake. Good, it's time for your medicine"

Now Tseng was definitively awake and alert. This was definitely no bizarre dream, even if Rude saying such a long sentence suggested otherwise. He manoeuvred slowly until he was seated and then a very nice smell coming from the kitchen reached his nose. Elena appeared in the room announced that the food was ready. When she noticed he was awake Tseng was already bracing himself to endure all her fawning, but surprisingly, she just smiled at him cheerfully and went back to the kitchen.

Tseng blinked and accepted the medicine Rude was handing him without a word.  
>"What are you all doing here?" He said finally, his voice slightly raspy from disuse. Now everyone was looking at him.<p>

"Well, you needed rest and the office is not the best place for that, is it?" Came Rufus' practical answer.

"And...why is my bed in the living room?"

"Because that way we could all watch over you" Said Elena from the kitchen. Rude moved again to put another pillow behind his back and adjust the blankets that were falling from their place. A second later Elena was placing a tray with a bowl of steaming homemade chicken soup in his lap.

"...Reno, are you...seriously doing paperwork?" He was going to say, but he stopped himself mid-question lest the redhead take offence in his doubtful tone and decide to stop. He ate his soup in silence while thinking that it was nice having them there, even if the situation would have seemed extremely bizarre to anyone else, he'd always known they cared.

Finally he sighed contentedly and laid down again, the medicine was making him sleepy. He didn't try to fight it. He was safe with people he trusted enough to just let himself relax and let go.

Hi was with his family.


End file.
